Awesome Stories 353

/ January 27, 2018

This week Awesome Stories brings you the cowboy life, gypsy goats, and the gifts of resiliency.

The Cowboy Lifecowboy life, Awesome Stories

I found this conversation with Jim Brooks very interesting. Jim is a black man with a passion for the cowboy life, horses, music, and more. He seems to have followed his passions all through his life developing a deep trust in himself, God, and life. I both admire and envy his clarity of direction. My life has been a continual struggle to find things that bring passion and meaning for me. Maybe it helps that he was brought up in a Quaker environment where they are taught to sit and listen for the voice of God within. Jim talks a lot about how he has learned to not force things, but rather to wait patiently for God and life to bring him what he needs and wants. I found the article very insightful about life, following our passions, and an inside view of the cowboy life.

The Gifts of Resiliency

Brene Brown talks about resiliency and defines it as the ability to overcome adversity. She was fascinated why some people seem to thrive on adversity and others seem to wither. Brene found that resilient people tend to be resourceful, problem solvers, ask for help, believe they can cope, and have social support and family connections. Her research revealed the core competencies for becoming more resilient as cultivating hope, awareness, and vulnerability. The surprising common ground for everyone she studied was having a spiritual foundation. I love her definition of spirituality as the belief in a power greater than self, interconnection with that power and other people, and everything being grounded in love and compassion. This Spirituality and Practice article explores Brene’s latest research on resiliency and her book called the Gift of Imperfection. Resiliency is also a hot topic in environmental circles and considered the most important trait people and communities need to develop in order to cope with climate change.

Gypsy Goats

Lani Malmberg is called the Gypsy Goat herder. In fact, she is a very intelligent, caring, educated woman who lives her values by goat herding. She is one of the pioneers in using goats to maintain and restore land through controlled grazing to remove weeds and return the land to a healthy, natural ecosystem. The video below highlights one of her projects in Maui where she helped train and implement a pilot program to maintain public lands with goats instead of chemicals. Her goats clear the vegetation, digest, and then recycle the nutrients in their poop, creating a very efficient way to maintain land, especially since goats love to eat weeds and plants inedible to other animals. We have local companies like Greedy Goats of NWA who are also using goats to help landowners clear and maintain their land.

May your week be full of passion, resiliency, and nature.

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26 thoughts on “Awesome Stories 353”

  3. I’m always impressed by the articles and good things you find each week. They’re so uplifting and I always find out something new. 🙂 Great job bringing us good news every week. I know I’ve said it before, but these awesome stories are one of the highlights of my week!

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  4. Sounds like Jim has some wisdom Brad.. You have found us some good stories this week again Brad… And loved what you chose this week.. 🙂 Hope you had a good week also, and you are taking it easy over the weekend.. Or do I remember you worked weekends? 🙂
    Take care Brad.. And watch out for those goats, they will eat almost anything lol.. hehe.. 🙂

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  5. Reblogged this on Anything is Possible! and commented:
    “I’m not a religious nut, now—by no means—but I believe this fellow God up there has a plan for everybody.” – Jim Brooks. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview with this black cowboy, along with the goat weed eaters and a recipe for resiliency, all in Brad’s “Awesome Stories.”

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  6. Another wonderful selection, loved it all, but particularly fascinated by the goats story! I knew they’d eat pretty much anything, but had no idea they could actually digest specific stuff other animals can’t. What a simple, beautiful solution. Nature really is so wise, she’s given the world everything it needs, in balance, if only we’d pay attention. Thanks Brad! Blessings, Harula xx

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  8. Another great group of articles, Brad…loved them all. The Cowboy Life spoke to me as someone who truly has trust in God’s faithfulness. Powerful indeed to let go and trust in God. Love the goat idea…perfect. Again all three were great!!

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